Conscripted
by This PenName wasn't taken
Summary: Kallian Tabris always hated humans, and with good reason; They'd taken everything she'd ever loved. Now she's forced to join them in a grand battle to save Ferelden, and she doesn't like it one bit.
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: **Kallian Tabris always hated humans, and with good reason; They'd taken everything she'd ever loved. Now she's forced to join them in a grand battle to save Ferelden, and she doesn't like it one bit._

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Dragon Age: Origins. So if you have any requests about a possible sequel, don't ask me. _

**_Author's note:_ **_I was always a bit disappointed with the fact that you could never really make a human-hating elf. There were some lines in the beginning, but after that: Nothing. I was bored, so I decided, why not? And wrote this up. Sorry if it sucks._

* * *

It had been nearly a full week since they'd left for Ostagar. Duncan had managed to arrange transport for them, slicing at least a few days worth of travel away. Kallian wasn't happy about it.

She realized by now that there was no getting off this boat; she _would _become a Grey Warden, whether she wanted it or not. Duncan had made that quite clear when he'd thrown her over his shoulder and dumped her in a carriage, telling her her life as she knew it was over now. She still hated him for it, but hatred wasn't going to help her face what was to come. Travelling with one human had been hard, but working with a whole pack of them? A day ago, she'd finally opened her mouth for the first time since they'd left Denerim, asking him if there were many humans in Ostagar. The answer had hit her pretty hard; 'Yes, the majority of the people there are human.'

He'd attempted to ease her mind by mentioning the groups of elves and dwarves that also took up residence in the old ruin, and how the humans there were civilized, but she knew better. She wondered if she'd see some of her old friends here, the ones that had been forced out of their houses and forced into slavery for these humans.

After climbing another hill, they reached a large bridge, beyond it lay Ostagar; The sights were amazing, but somehow, Kallian couldn't enjoy it. She'd always wanted to leave the Alienage, but now that she was out here, so out in the open, without the sense of security her people gave her, she wanted nothing more than to go back. Regardless of whatever punishment awaited her back in Denerim.

She could vaguely hear Duncan mention Grey Wardens, but she was too absentminded to answer, and instead just looked around, contemplating the thought of escaping. If she just turned and ran now, could he keep up with her? He was getting quite old, after all.

"There are only a few Grey Wardens in Ferelden at the moment, but all of us are here, and..." he glanced over at his companion and sighed, realizing he was wasting his breath. He'd dealt with difficult recruits before, but none of them had been as spiteful and resistant as this one. He'd expected at least _some _coöperation from her part, when he saved her from quite possibly a death sentence, but no. Not even a thank you. Not that he had really expected one, after what he'd seen of her before, but still... he hadn't expected her to be _this _difficult, especially after spending a whole week together.

One moment she was walking next to him, the next, she suddenly disappeared out of the corner of his eye. He blinked and turned around, only to see the young elf darting off in the other direction. "What in Andraste's name..." he was flabbergasted as he took up his pace and ran after her. This had _never _happened before. He'd been insulted, attacked, ignored, and all sorts of other things, but never in his many years as a recruiter had a candidate actually _fled_.

Of course, the young city elf had sorely underestimated this man's stamina, and before she even reached the end of the bridge, he'd caught up with her, roughly grabbing her wrist in an attempt to stop her. "Let go of me human! You have no right!" she yanked hard on her wrist, but only managed to hurt herself. These arms weren't made for this sort of workout.

"I'll drag you in there kicking and screaming if I have to," he stared deeply into her eyes, "What do you think would become of you out there, by yourself?"

Kallian frowned and looked down at her shoes, "You don't care about me, you just don't wanna lose one of your little meatshields!" Another pull, and another fail. Her wrist was really starting to hurt now. Duncan knew it too, but it was too risky to release her.

"If your only purpose was to be a meatshield, do you really think I would've put up with your behavior this long?" his voice made her jump slightly, in these empty ruins, it sounded even louder. "Ferelden needs Grey Wardens, I truly believe you have what it takes to be one." he tightened his grip, "That is, if you'll stop acting like a child, and accept your responsibilities."

"What do I care about your opinion. Call me a child! I've been called worse!" she gritted her teeth and kicked his shin, regretting her action as soon as her foot hit the metal. "Ow!"

Duncan sighed desperately, "You need to learn that not the whole world is out to get you."

The mood grew darker and more aggressive with each passing moment, "No? All of your people are the same! They have no regard for anyone other than themselves! Not even you! Did you even consider _my _feelings when you forced me to come with you? You are even worse than the others! At least the others don't pretend to be good people, you filthy shem!"

"You would've died if you'd stayed there!"

"Like _that _would've been such a huge step down from the cesspool we are forced to live in!" she spat angrily, finally having the strenth to pull herself away from his grasp. She stared darkly at him as she massaged her wrist. "You could never understand..."

Duncan frowned, for he knew what she said was the truth. He'd never understand what it would be like to live as an elf in an Alienage. He'd never understand the feeling of being treated like a whore by men like Vaughan, he'd never understand the constant fear these people lived in. Assuming he could was an insult to them all.

He opened his mouth to apologize, but quickly decided against it. He wasn't her enemy, and apologizing would suggest he had something to apologize _for. _Which he didn't. He hadn't been the one to torment her for so long.

"Ho there Duncan!"

Duncan blinked a few times in surprise, his body moving on auto-pilot as he shook the young king's hand as he approached, "King Cailan! I... had not expected-"

"A royal welcome? You know I always treat my most honored guests with the respect they deserve." he said with a bright smile, making him seem even younger than he was.

"You are too kind, your majesty."

Cailan shook his head, "Always with the formalities... I've told you; call me Cailan. We'll be shedding blood together, after all. Though, for a moment I was worried you would miss all the fun."

"Not if I could help it your majesty." Duncan said with an even voice, ignoring Cailan's sigh at the 'your majesty' part. Perhaps Cailan didn't think too much of titles, but Duncan would never be accused of disrespecting his king.

"Glad to hear it, the other Wardens mentioned you'd found a promising recruit, I take it this is she?" he glanced over at the elf by Duncan's side, who seemed to glare angrily at him, "Ho there friend! Might I ask your name?"

Kallian snorted, "I am no friend of yours, human..." Duncan poked her with his elbow, shaking his head as a warning.

"Well... I see you've brought a lively one this time! And here I thought you were all polite old men." Cailan laughed, although he was taken a little aback by the incredible amount of rudeness thrown at him in a single sentence.

"I wouldn't be here if I had a choice..." she muttered under her breath, earning herself another annoyed look from Duncan. Luckily, Cailan hadn't heard a thing.

"Tell me, where are you from?" he asked again, starting over, hoping this time she would respond differently.

Kallian crossed her arms and looked away, "What do you think? One of your Alienages, _naturally_..." Duncan rubbed his temples, silently begging the Maker Cailan would just _go_. Dealing with her on his own was difficult enough, keeping her in line while speaking to others was a lot harder, especially since she didn't seem to care about Cailan being her king.

"I see... what's it like there?" Cailan had always been curious about what went on within his lands, but of course, as a king, you couldn't just go out and visit everywhere you wanted. He had responsibilities, after all.

Kallian smiled brightly, and for a moment, Cailan thought she would tell him a happy story. "Well, where to start! Perhaps I should start by mentioning my mother's timely death at the hands of your guards!" she chirped, waving her arms around as though she was telling a grant story, "Or perhaps something more recent, such as the Arl's son group-raping my cousin!" Cailan's mouth dropped open as she spoke, "I should probably also mention that when you return to your fancy palace in Denerim, you'll have some pretty nasty bloodstains to remove. And I think his ear shot off somewhere underneath the bed, might wanna have that checked out before having company over, know what I'm saying?" she winked sweetly at him.

"W-What...?" he looked over at Duncan, who merely rubbed his temples in despair, "A-Are you serious?"

"Which part? The part where your guards all turned a blind eye as my cousin was brutally raped, or the part where I repainted your walls with royal blood? Either way, it's all true." she leaned back on one leg staring the obviously naïve king down, "There's more, though I doubt your fragile little mind can handle it..."

"That's enough!" Duncan stepped between the two, "This is your_ king_ you're speaking to, and you _will _show him some respect!"

She tiptoed to stare into his eyes, "Or else _what_?" she hissed daringly.

"No, it's alright Duncan..." Cailan still seemed somewhat in shock as he spoke, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I assure you, I didn't know any of this..." he sighed as he walked back to his guards before turning again, "I promise you, once I get back to Denerim, things will change."

"You'll forgive me if I don't hold my breath." after all, she hadn't met a single human who'd actually kept his word.

"Now..." Cailan started awkwardly, "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I need to return before Loghain sends a search party. Duncan, could you meet me by my tent later? There is much we need to discuss."

"Certainly, your majesty." Duncan bowed his head politely as the young king nodded quickly before hurrying off with his entourage, Kallian merely crossed her arms and stared at the man's retreating back, feeling no desire to bow before him.

---

Compared to the morning, the rest of the day had been fairly uneventful. Duncan had gone about his business, ensuring all of his Grey Wardens were ready for the upcoming battle, checking supplies, preparing battle plans. The usual, really. Although this time, he was accompanied by an angry elf, which was far from common. Normally, Duncan allowed his recruits to walk around the camp freely, exploring or relaxing as they saw fit, so long as they didn't leave the camp, they could do as they wished. But he realized after the morning that he couldn't quite trust this recruit to keep that one simple promise. She'd be up and out of that gate before he could even cross the bridge. No, this one had to be watched.

He _had _noticed a change in her behavior however, as the hours passed by. At first, she'd been extremely defiant, ensuring him that as soon as his back was turned, she'd make a run for it. But as soon as they had actually entered the camp, she'd fallen quiet. Soundlessly, she followed him around, unwilling to look anyone in the eye, even as some of them greeted her. At first he thought it was more rude behavior, but it began to dawn down on him now; She was scared.

Her entire life she'd been told to avoid humans, to hide whenever she saw them, to not look them in the eye, or otherwise draw their attention. She'd been taught to be invisible, taught how to survive, even within her own home. They'd all speak of it, the other elves. They'd all mention finding a girl's broken body after she'd been abducted for the night. They'd all mentioned the young man's scars, after he returned from his job as a servant. Humans were evil, humans were to be feared, and hated.

And now, here she was, among the people who had tormented her and her people her entire life. Here were the people from the horror tales, in large groups, all towering over her, staring at her as she walked past them. A part of him started to feel somewhat guilty for bringing her, it was obvious she wasn't ready for this. But the Blight wouldn't wait, and he needed all the warriors he could find, even those with troubled pasts had to put their feelings aside for the greater good.

That didn't stop his concern though, despite her behavior earlier, he didn't wish this feeling upon anyone. This fear, this anger.

"If I promise you to be a good girl, can I leave the camp?" she asked suddenly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking around cautiously, unconsiously taking a step closer to Duncan when she realized some soldiers were watching her.

Duncan stopped, thinking for a moment. She _sounded _sincere enough, but her elder had told him more than enough about her manipulative streak... somehow, he didn't think she'd run, but he couldn't be sure.

"You haven't given me much of a reason to trust you," he admitted as he crossed his arms, "You tried to run this morning, what's changed?"

"Nothing, I still don't want to be here." Kallian shifted nervously on the spot, she made a nice attempt at hiding her feelings, but this wasn't the first unwilling recruit Duncan had dealt with, and he'd seen so many faces, so many emotions, that it wasn't hard to tell what she was feeling right now. "But... I'll behave if you let me go, away from these shems," when she noticed the man giving her a sympathetic look, she stood up straight, "They are annoying, and they smell. I do not wish to be around them any longer than I have to."

The pair slowly turned as they heard two men argue, "I will _not _be harrassed in this manner!" the mage yelled angrily, waving his fist at the other man, "You can tell that witch that I'm on important business, for the _Grey Wardens, _I might add!"

The other man dramatically waved his arms, "Because delivering a message is _so _offensive! I am truly sorry Ser Mage, had I known!"

The mage turned to Duncan, his frown only deepening, "How do you expect me to work with all these distractions? Can't you keep your fools locked away somewhere before the battle?"

The young man quickly approached as well, clasping both his hands together and bowing slightly, "Truly Ser Mage, do forgive me... where are my manners. Allow me to rephrase: The Revered Mother wishes to see you, _please?" _he grinned innocently batting his eyelashes a few times for added effect.

The older man sighed desperately, "Enough... I'll speak to the woman, if I _must_."he turned to walk away again, roughly pushing himself past the young man, "Out of my way, _fool._"

Duncan shook his head, "Riling up mages again, are we Alistair?"

The man named Alistair smiled innocently, holding his hands up defensively, "Hey, don't look at me! I'm just the delivery boy! Don't hate on the staff!"

Duncan chuckled slightly as he patted the boy on the shoulders, it was obvious to anyone with functioning eyes that these two were at the very least close friends, Kallian hadn't seen Duncan interact like this with any of the other people in the camp, not even the other Wardens.

The lighthearted mood quickly became serious again as Duncan's laughter faded and was instead replaced with a kind, but serious look, "Do be careful Alistair, we're not popular as it is... we can't afford to anger more people with our presence," when he noticed Alistair frowning slightly, he spoke again, this time with a cheerier voice, "I'll tell the Revered Mother to leave you be as well."

"Now _that _would be an excellent plan!" Alistair laughed before his eyes landed on the petite elf at Duncan's side, "Oh, forgive me, I didn't see you there... you must be our newest recruit."

Kallian nodded quickly before looking up at Duncan again, "About leaving the camp..."

"_That _eager to get away, are you?" he laughed as he bent slightly to get a better look at her face, "Trust me, aside from the occasional playful nibbling, we don't actually bite."

"You may leave, on one condition," Duncan started, placing his hand on Alistair's shoulder, "Alistair accompanies you, this is not up for debate. Either you leave with Alistair, or you stay in the camp with me. It's your choice."

Kallian frowned and looked down at her shoes, softly biting her lip. Alistair awkwardly scratched his neck, "Well, you must've been a bad girl to be punished like this."

She glared up at him and then glanced over at Duncan, who's look seemed to have grown hard again. Arguing would be pointless, she decided. This man had heard all of her excuses before, and he really didn't seem like he would debate this issue with her. She wasn't sure whether she could trust this 'Alistair', but being around all these men, who hadn't seen a woman in months felt too awkward, too uncomfortable. She sighed softly, slowly nodding her head, "Fine... he can come."

"I _can come_?" Alistair repeated slowly as he arched his brow, "Yippie!"

Duncan sighed, and hoped he'd made the right decision by entrusting her to Alistair. The boy was too trusting for his own good, he prayed he wouldn't allow himself to be fooled by this woman.

"Very well then, Alistair, keep your eyes open," he slowly started walking again, glancing over his shoulder as he spoke, "And be careful, she's sneakier than she looks."

---

Kallian sighed in relief as she reached the other side of the bridge, happy to be away from the crowds. Of course, now she had to put up with Alistair following her around like a watchdog, but it was a vast improvement over the camp, where she was literally watched by _everyone_. She didn't like being watched, especially not by humans. Who knew what went on their head?

"So what did you do?" Alistair asked from behind her, "Usually Duncan allows new recruits to walk around freely, you must've done something pretty bad if he sends a nanny to watch over you."

Kallian shrugged, she really wasn't that eager to talk, "I tried to run." she told him simply, without elaborating.

"You tried to-" his sentence was cut off by a chuckle, "You tried to what? Are you serious?"

She spun around and narrowed her eyes, immediately causing him to shut up, "You find it funny that he dragged me from my house like a slave and forces me to be somewhere entirely against my will? Is that your idea of amusement?"

"No, no! Just that... the idea of you just turning around and making a run for it is funny... I mean, I don't find it funny that you are here against your will, or... that you felt the need to flee, just, you know!" he nervously ran a hand through his hair, "You... don't like me much, do you?"

Kallian slowly rolled her eyes, "Gee, however did you guess? Was it the quiet glare I've been giving you the past 20 minutes, or the scowl I give you whenever you open your mouth?"

"Actually, it was the inappropriate gestures you've been making with your hands." he said simply, seemingly unphased by her harsh words, "That's really not nice you know, you might hurt my feelings... and you don't want me to cry, do you?"

He was starting to annoy her more and more, the longer they spent together. Was he not taking her seriously _at all_?

"Go ahead and cry, in fact, throw yourself off this cliff while you're at it, see if I care." she huffed, sitting in the soft grass, pulling her legs to her chest.

Alistair sighed as he stepped past her, stretching his arms over his head, "You know... one good thing about the Blight is how it brings people together." he turned around and smiled sweetly, "We'll all stand in a circle and hold hands!" he said as he squeezed his eyes shut and grinned brightly, hugging himself.

Kallian groaned, letting herself fall backwards into the grass, bringing her palms up to her face.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

_Thank you for reading. I'm not sure whether this'll be a full-lenth story or a oneshot yet. Regardless of that, reviews are always appreciated! Sooo, feel free to leave one, if you wish?_

_Have a wonderful day!_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Summary: **Kallian Tabris always hated humans, and with good reason; They'd taken everything she'd ever loved. Now she's forced to join them in a grand battle to save Ferelden, and she doesn't like it one bit._

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Dragon Age: Origins. So if you have any requests about a possible sequel, don't ask me. _

**_Author's note:_ **_Thank you very much, reviewers, for your kind words! :) I really appreciate them, and they're really motivating. I hope this chapter does not disappoint._

* * *

The day had almost come to an end, the sun was beginning to set, and the day-time guards were relieved of their duties by the night squad. Despite this, Kallian still didn't feel like returning to camp. The entire day had been spent near the tower of Ishall with Alistair, who, despite her quiet glares, continued to speak to her even after she told him to shut up. He'd spoken of many things, the other two recruits back in the camp, that pesky Chantry priest that kept harrassing him, his fondness of cheese, and of course the Grey Wardens.

He hadn't been the first to try and educate her, Duncan had spent an entire week trying to tell her what Grey Wardens did exactly, and she'd flat out ignored him, finding the ceiling of the carriage much more interesting. After nearly two hours of talking, Kallian had finally told Alistair that she honestly couldn't care less about Grey Wardens, and that she'd simply kill any darkspawn that got in her way. He seemed to find her reaction amusing, but then again, there was a reason everyone called him a fool.

As they entered the camp again, Kallian grew quiet once more, frowning deeply whenever she passed a human, and even deeper whenever she passed one of her own kind, sitting on their knees and scrubbing the floor. Was this really how low the elves had sunk?

"You know, I was just thinking..." Alistair started quietly as they marched through the camp. Kallian rolled her eyes, "Well, there's a first time for everything I suppose..." she couldn't help but smirk when she saw Alistair frown at her.

"You are such an icequeen, I'll bet you could freeze the sun if you wanted to," he sighed, "But anyway, it just occured to me there have never been many women in the Grey Wardens... I wonder why that is..." he scratched his chin and eyed her curiously.

Kallian stopped abrubtly, "What are you implying, human?"

"Oh no, nothing... just that it's a little odd, that's all." he shrugged as he leaned back against a wall.

Strangely enough, fighting with Alistair seemed to make her forget where she was, if only for a moment, "Maybe women are too _smart _to be travelling around with a bunch of idiotic boys, playing hero."

His lack of a response angered her greatly, maybe he _was _a simple minded fool, or maybe he just didn't take anything she said seriously. "So what does that say about you? You're here, aren't you?"

"I told you, Duncan forced me to come." Kallian huffed as she started walking again in the direction of Duncan's tent... if she remembered correctly...

"Oh come now, you could've escaped if you really wanted to...," he flailed his arms around in a dramatic fasion as her rushed after her, "that tongue of yours can freeze things faster than any frost spell I've ever seen a mage cast."

"If that were the case, you would've been a little blond icecube by now." she honestly had no idea why she even spoke to this man. In her experience, many problems simply went away if you ignored them long enough, however, this _boy _proved to be hardheaded, and so she'd moved onto the second stage; Insult. She'd been insulting him the entire afternoon, and even now she threw some snide remarks his way, none of them having the desired effect. Much to her own surprise, she wished she were back at Duncan's tent. At least _he _left her alone after a while, and _when _he spoke, it wasn't about useless things. She prayed they would be back soon, so Alistair could go annoy someone else.

Apparently, her sense of direction was a bit off out here, for she almost entered the wrong tent, thinking it was Duncan's.

"Halt!" the guard called quickly as he grasped her arm, "You approach the tent of Teyrn Loghain, state your business."

"Teyrn what?" she asked plainly, receiving amazed stares from both Alistair and the guard, "Am I supposed to know this guy?"

"You... don't know who Teyrn Loghain is...?" the guard asked in shock, staring from her, to Alistair, and back at her again.

Kallian shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest, "No, what do I care about your human politics?"

"Who is it?" a voice suddenly called from inside the tent, "I told you, no visitors!"

"S-Sorry my Lord, it's one of the Grey Warden recruits, I'll send her away."

"Right. We'll be on our way then." Kallian sighed as she turned away, ready to leave, when a large man stepped out of the tent, eyeing her strangely.

"Well... that's surprising..." he started as he looked her over, barely paying any attention to Alistair, "A Grey Warden _without _a pompous attitude? That's a first."

"Amazing how you can tell when you haven't even met me." Alistair bit his lip, looking around to see if Duncan was anywhere nearby in case things got out of hand.

"Yes, well, not many of your companions take "no" for an answer," it was clear this man didn't like Grey Wardens much. Good, at least they had something in common then. "You must be that new recruit Cailan mentioned... the one with the horror stories, I take it?"

Kallian nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow when she saw Alistair gesturing about something, she had no idea what it meant though, "I'm surprised he didn't wet his pants, the way he looked..."

Loghain shrugged his shoulders, "King Cailan is a very young man, naïve in many ways..." he sighed deeply, "I keep telling myself his youthful ignorance is the cause of his foolish facinations... I _pray _it's his youthful ignorance..."

"Or maybe he's just a fool." Kallian blurted out, causing Alistair to softly bang his head against the Teyrn's tentpost.

Loghain expression hardened somewhat, "He is young, I need to remember that. And it would serve you well to remember it as well." he straightened slightly, stretching the strain from his tired muscles, no doubt he'd been sitting in the same position for quite some time, "So... I don't suppose you'll be riding off into the thick of battle with the rest of your buddies, will you?"

Kallian's eyes widened, "I would certainly hope not!" Let them sacrifice themselves, she preferred to sit back and watch if it was all the same to them. Sending a rogue off to fight large groups of enemies at once was a bad idea anyway, surely Duncan would realize that.

"Huh... you're wiser than you look..." Loghain noted as he turned before quietly adding "You won't want to be down there when the darkspawn come," he glanced over his shoulder, sending cold shivers down the young elf's back, "Trust me."

And with that, the Teyrn entered his tent again, leaving the newest of the Grey Wardens with a gigantic lump in her throat.

---

By the time Alistair and Kallian had returned to Duncan's tent, the other two recruits had already arrived. What seemed impossible turned out to be not so impossible after all... both Ser Jory and Daveth were more annoying than Alistair. Ser Jory, or the big dumbass as Kallian liked to call him in her head, seemed to complain about absolutely anything... so much so that she'd actually begun to _regret _her own behavior... now she realized just how incredibly frustrating it was to deal with someone who just couldn't stop nagging. "My wife this, my wife that, why so many tests? What is our next test? Why do we have to do that?" the endless flow of questions drove her to the brink of insanity, and she swore to herself that if he mentioned his wife or his offspring again, she'd assasinate him in his sleep, no one would miss him anyway.

Daveth had at first seemed like a reasonable man by shemlen standards... that was until he started cracking lame jokes, _"Oh, I'll watch _her _back alright!" _Still, compared to Jory, he wasn't too terrible.

Their plates were empty quicker than she'd thought, she hadn't realized quite how hungry she'd been until the smell of food filled her nostrils. Of course, the food was nothing to write home about, but what else could be expected in a camp full of soldiers in the middle of nowhere? Besides, Jory did more than enough whining, or gagging really, for the rest of them. It seemed the knight wasn't used to the thick dry soup that had been presented to him, and as a result, nearly choked a few times. Kallian was sadly dissappointed to see him eventually swallow it all.

During dinner, Duncan had quietly explained their mission for tomorrow; The three recruits were to go into the Wilds to fill three vials with darkspawn blood, as the blood was needed for the Joining. Of course, upon asking about the Joining, Duncan had quickly changed the subject. They were to also retrieve some old Grey Warden documents. As a safety measure, Alistair was to accompany them into the Wilds. Kallian believed sending that loud-mouthed idiot along would only harm their chances of survival, but decided to give Duncan a break for today, and had kept her thoughts to herself.

"Very well then, I would advice going to bed early, you will be leaving at dawn, if you have any questions, ask them tomorrow, I will be there to see you off." with that, Duncan stood up and headed for the king's tent to discuss the upcoming battle.

"Well..." Daveth started, glancing around the campfire, "I'll be heading off to bed then," his eyes landed on Kallian and he smiled seductively, "Should you get cold tonight..."

Kallian rose an eyebrow, "I'll get another blanket?"

Daveth laughed softly, shaking his head as he entered his tent, "Sweet dreams."

After a short silence, Ser Jory spoke up once more, directing his voice at Alistair, "So, will _you _tell us what this Joining ritual entails then?"

Alistair shifted uncomfortably, "Like Duncan said, you will learn all in good time..."

"Why all these secrets? Is there a reason you're not telling us?" Jory narrowed his eyes somewhat, "I don't see why you'd have to hide it from your own recruits."

"Oh for the love of-!" Kallian rolled onto her back, "Can't you just shut it for _one _second? It's not like your endless whining is going to make them talk... so just do us all a favor and go talk to your tentpole or something... see if it talks back."

Alistair fought back a chuckle as Jory put on a somewhat childish pout, "I'm off to bed." he muttered quickly as he gathered his belongings before rushing off to his tent.

As soon as Jory was out of hearing distance, Alistair finally couldn't contain his laughter anymore, "You know, for once, I'm actually _glad _you've got a bitchy streak."

"Yeah? Well, if you wanna make use of my services, it'll cost you." she mumbled into her pillow, feeling her eyelids growing quite heavy. She'd used up all her energy for today it seemed.

"Oh? And just what payments do you accept, my lady?" Alistair asked with a toothy grin, leaning over so he could hear her better through her pillow.

Kallian slowly rose her head, smiling seductively, "What do _you _think, big boy?" she slowly propped herself up on her elbows, "You know what I want... don't you?"

"W-What...?" Alistair mumbled, trying to hide his glowing cheeks behind the fire.

Kallian smirked, holding her hand up close to his face, "Three Sovereigns, if you please."

"Ohh..." he laughed nervously, "I see... for a moment I thought... no, never mind... you're evil. Pure evil I tell you."

"And you'll be paying me _six_ Sovereigns if you keep trying to talk your way out of it."

Alistair sat back casually, feeling a lot more relaxed now, "Don't you think you're overprizing?"

Kallian tilted her head slightly, "Oh? Maybe you'd like me to call Jory back over here then?"

The young templar smiled, "You drive a hard bargain." shaking his head slowly, he reached into his pocket, "I've only got one Sovereign... you'll get the rest later."

"Fine. So long as you remember I charge interest."

---

That night, sleep didn't come easily to Kallian. Being surrounded by all these humans made her feel uneasy, but more than that, seeing her own people in such a degrading position caused her to keep thinking of home. In the Alienage, there were times when she could pretend there were no humans. She could pretend there was nothing outside the gates, that the old, run-down buildings of her home were the only thing out there... no humans, no dwarves, no other elves... just her and her community. But being out here, so far away from home, it became obvious; Humans very much controlled the world, whether they admitted it or not. She'd seen maybe two dwarves, and the only elves she'd seen were slaves to the humans, who'd call them "servants" so they didn't seem as cruel when they made them clean their filth.

The thought that there were so many of them out there made her feel uncomfortable. She wasn't stupid. She knew well enough that not all humans were like Vaughan, that not all of them frequently went out to rape innocent women, or to beat up innocent men... but a part of her felt that perhaps, they were worse than men like Vaughan. Vaughan had been a bastard, but at least he didn't pretend to be something he wasn't, at least he didn't _act _like a good man. Whereas men like Duncan and Alistair pretended to be good men, but at the same time, completely ignored all the injustice around them. They didn't stand up for the poor servants here, they didn't tell those lazy soldiers to clean their own stuff, they simply allowed them to be talked down to, as if they were nothing but a piece of furniture.

Ever since she was a little girl, Kallian had been crazy about stories of the Dalish elves. Some thought the stories were just that: Stories. But Kallian couldn't help but believe, couldn't help but _hope_ they were real. Just the thought of elves running around freely, fighting for their place in the world, and not bowing down before the humans made her heart beat faster. It was what she'd always dreamed of, whenever a human would come scan the Alienage for some "fresh meat", she'd think of the Dalish elves, and how they would all step outside their houses to confront the humans, telling them they wouldn't be taking one of their kind with them, and if they tried, the whole clan would fight to protect their companion.

Instead, her people closed the blinds whenever something happened, not wanting to get involved. Girls were told from a very early age to just 'let it happen', so that they could return home quickly, and put it behind them. It had always seemed weak to her, and at times, she felt outright disgusted by her own people.

However, being out here now, she realized that maybe, 'letting it happen' _was _the best thing to do. No matter how many humans they'd fight, there would always be more, and regardless of who was right and what was wrong, they'd _always _be supported by their people, no matter what.

She sighed softly as she rolled onto her side, painful memories of the Alienage suddenly rushing in at incredible speeds. She remembered the very same words escaping one of her bridesmaids lips 'let it happen', 'put it behind us quickly'. She'd been angry at her when she said it, but now...

Reaching into her pack, she gently pulled out her wedding ring, the ring Nelaros had carried with him when he and Soris had come to rescue them. She frowned sadly as she fitted the ring around her finger. Just what _had _their defiance accomplished? Shianni had still been raped, Nelaros had been killed, and no doubt Soris and the others were dealing with the consequences of Vaughan's death right now.

What if she had just _let it happen_? What if she had come willingly, without making a scene at her wedding? Perhaps then, Vaughan wouldn't have needed to smack her down, perhaps then, Nelaros would've accepted her decision and stayed where it was safe. Perhaps then, they wouldn't have taken out all their frustration and anger on Shianni. They would've all had to endure the worst type of torture, but afterwards, they would've been able to return home, she would've been able to get married, Soris would've been able to get married. With time, they'd all come to accept what had happened, and move on.

She slowly shook her head as she turned back around again. No, she'd done what needed to be done. If no one ever stood up to them, they'd keep doing it, and would she really be any better than these servants if she'd just accept this type of treatment?

Perhaps one day, the world would come to accept them as their equals. Until then, the Dalish were the closest things to freedom that excisted for elves such as her.

After twisting and turning for a few more minutes, Kallian finally felt all of her energy drain away... slowly but surely, she lost her focus as she drifted between consciousness and sleep, sleep eventually winning the tug of war. Her body released all it's tension for a moment as she drifted off into a peacefull sleep, the peace did not last for long though, as soon, the pleasant darkness was replaced with horrid dreams. Dreams of what had happened, dreams of what was to happen.

At least her dreams were her own.

* * *

_Thank you very much for reading! I hope you liked this chapter too, and feel generous enough to leave a review. :P_

_Until next time! Have a pleasant day/night!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Summary:** Kallian Tabris always hated humans, and with good reason; They'd taken everything she'd ever loved. Now she's forced to join them in a grand battle to save Ferelden, and she doesn't like it one bit._

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Dragon Age: Origins. So if you have any requests about a possible sequel, don't ask me._

_**Author's note:** Thank you once again to all my reviewers. This time it's a quick update!_

_Also, at _FallenAngelCyril_, thank you for your constructive critisism. :) I appreciate your honesty. You're not the only one who found her childish either, so did Duncan. (And I, to be honest. She's not supposed to be very lovable :P)_

* * *

"Nyehhh..." Kallian groaned as she dragged herself out of her tent, she didn't have a mirror, but she could just feel the bags under her eyes. Last night had not been very pleasant at all.

Much to her surprise, Duncan was already up and about, and currently in the midst of preparing breakfast, when he noticed her, he merely smiled, "Good morning... although... maybe _good_ isn't the right way to put it..."

"No, not really..." she mumbled, biting her lip in disgust when she saw the same filthy soup being warmed up again, "Don't tell me that's our breakfast! Once was more than enough, thank you!"

The tanned man laughed heartily, but kept his volume down, it was still dark outside, and he didn't wish to wake the others just yet. "I know, this isn't my idea of a proper meal either, but it'll give you the energy you'll need for today's task."

"So... some throat-blocking soup before rolling around in darkspawn blood... just the way I like it." she grabbed her pillow and sat beside the fire, curiously eyeing Duncan as he stirred the soup. He was surprisingly quiet, had he actually gotten the hint and decided to just leave her alone? Great! One down, one more to go!

The pleasant silence ended sooner rather than later when they heard voices coming from Cailan's tent.

"Loghain, you're being unreasonable!" the young King hissed, "I only want what is best for Ferelden!"

"Bringing the Orlesians here is hardly what is best for Ferelden, _your majesty_," Kallian glanced over at Duncan, who seemed to focus on his soup just a little bit too much, "How fortunate Maric did not live to see his son hand over his country to the very people that enslaved us."

"I am not handing anything over, our conflict with the Orlesians is a thing of the past, you know that as well as I do."

"Your fool notion will get us all killed!"

"It is not a fool notion... and you will remember who is king here!"

The tent flap flew open as Loghain stormed out of it, his face twisted in an angry scowl, "Let me know when you are ready to listen to reason." he huffed as he entered his own tent, completely oblivious to the fact his conversation had been overheard.

Cailan exited his tent a moment later, sighing deeply and rubbing his temples. When he noticed Duncan and Kallian, he put on a diplomatic smile again, the sort of smile only a man of noble heritage could manage. "Forgive me, I did not wake you, did I?"

"Not at all, your majesty." Duncan nodded politely at him, "The new recruits will be entering the Wilds in a few hours, so we're up early."

"Oh, I see. Dedicated as ever, no? Not many people would have the willpower to get up at this hour."

As Duncan and Cailan discussed the upcoming battle, and the mission the Warden recruits would be going on, Kallian quietly sneaked away from them, heading towards Teyrn Loghain's tent. Something wasn't quite right about that man. She still shivered when she thought of what he'd said yesterday _"You don't want to be down there when the darkspawn come, trust me."_ the look in his eyes had betrayed him, there was a hidden meaning behind his words, she thought. Of course, it could just be a human thing. Maybe she was mistaken, but something about him made her feel uneasy.

She quickly backed up behind a tree when she saw a woman enter the Teyrns tent, a woman she hadn't seen before. Curiosity got the better of her, and she quickly found herself sneaking closer, making herself as small as possible so she wouldn't be noticed.

"The Tower of Ishall is fully secured my Lord," the woman started as she bowed respectfully for him, "However, the tunnels cause us some concern... we've sent scouts down there, but they haven't returned yet... we have no idea where they lead."

"I see... good work Ser Cauthrien, you need not concern yourself with the tunnels much longer, I'm sure..." the man sighed, "No doubt the King will entrust the tower to the Grey Wardens. Let them worry about the tunnels."

"You've... spoken to the king about this, my Lord?" the woman asked awkwardly. It seemed like she wasn't quite sure about asking the question.

"We've spoken, he hasn't said it with so many words, but you know Cailan... he'll eventually turn to his 'heroes' to save the day. Let him do so, it'll spare you and your men the trouble."

Kallian listened with great interest... it seemed the king was mildly obsessed with the Grey Wardens... interesting.

"Got anything good?"

"Defini-" her eyes widened as she spun around, staring her intruder straight in the face, "Did no one ever teach you to not sneak up on people?" she hissed angrily.

Daveth grinned, "What can I say, sneaking up on people is my specialty." he winked as he sat down next to her, "So what've you got? Does Loghain have a secret lover?"

"Nothing special... just that the king likes Grey Wardens a bit too much..." she sighed as she pushed past him, heading back to Duncan, "And something about tunnels, I don't know..."

Daveth shrugged, following her silently, "That's it? Too bad... I was hoping for some juicy stories..."

"Yes, I'm sure you were." she muttered, picking up her pace ever so subtly. If it were up to her, she'd be heading into the Wilds right away, with or without her fellow recruits. The sooner she got this over with, the better. The sooner they'd defeat the darkspawn, the sooner she could return home to her family.

---

"Urgh!!" Kallian groaned as she slit the throat of yet another Husk, "I thought you said there weren't that many darkspawn about!"

Alistair panted softly as he yanked his sword out of a darkspawn's back, "It seems they started travelling in packs..."

"Not good, I take it?" Daveth asked as he filled the last vial with darkspawn blood, "At least we've got the blood!"

"I'm... not sure... the only darkspawn _I've_ ever seen travelled alone." Alistair shook his head, "I can sense a group up ahead... their presence is strong... they must be tough."

"Fantastic!" Kallian laughed happily, "Tougher than these guys? Because I could use a challenge for once."

"Bloodlust is such an attractive feature, you know that?" Alistair asked sarcastically as he took the vial from Daveth and stored it safely in his pack.

"Without that bloodlust, you would've been crying for your mommy to come save you by now, so shut it. Lest I abandon you to your fate." she hopped back up to her feet and looked around for a bit before turning to Alistair, "So, where to _boss_?"

"Up the hill. There's at least three of them." he said shortly, obviously not in the mood for joking, "One of them is stronger than the rest, be wary."

"This had better be worth it." Jory muttered from behind, causing Alistair to roll his eyes and Kallian to reach for her blade, her fingers tingling with the desire to rid the world of this whiner.

"Try not to wet your pants, Ser knight, you don't want the darkspawn to smell your cowardice, do you?" Daveth asked snidely as he leaned over the taller man's shoulder, "Careful now, I think I saw one right over there!"

"Enough of this, Daveth, go up ahead and see what's waiting for us up there. Make sure they don't notice you."

Kallian pursed her lips, "If you really want things done right, you should've sent _me_." Alistair turned, his face cold as ice, "Don't be ridiculous! I can't send you!" he leaned closer to the young woman, "I need you here to protect me in case the darkspawn ambush us." It seemed he was simply incapable of being serious for more than three seconds, still, Kallian couldn't blame him this time. It wasn't like Jory would be much help in an ambush, unless the darkspawn could be bored to death. "Seems like you aren't as foolish as I had initially thought."

"Aww, does that mean you're starting to like me?" he sang, clasping his hands together, "I'm so flattered!"

"Don't bother, you're still a fool." just as Alistair was about to respond, Daveth rushed back over, a bright smile crossing his features.

"Good news, just three darkspawn up ahead. Two archers and some big guy, probably the leader. Kallian and I can sneak up on the archers, take them out quickly," he casually slung his arm around Kallian's shoulders, "Do I get a reward for being a good boy?"

"How about you get your hands off of me, and I _won't_ kick you in the crownjewels, how's that sound?" she smiled dangerously at him, Daveth grinned, but took a step backward anyway, "Did I ever tell you I just _love_ a spirited woman?"

"Did I ever tell you I just _love_ breaking spines? Do you volunteer yours?"

"Miauw!" Daveth hissed playfully, flicking his wrist at her in a claw-like fasion. Alistair grinned, "Careful Daveth, this kitty's got her claws out today."

"You don't say..."

Kallian rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and I just sharpened them this morning, so keep your hands where I can see them."

"Yes ma'am!" Daveth saluted.

---

The darspawn proved harder to kill than initially thought, Kallian and Daveth had succesfully sneaked up to the archers, taking them down before they even realized they were there, but it seemed the Alpha of the lot had a few tricks up his sleeve. Before Daveth had even turned around, he'd been knocked over the head with the blunt side of the creature's weapon, knocking him out cold. Alistair and Jory had done a decent job at keeping it drawn to them, but they hadn't left much of an opening for the only standing rogue of the party, as they attacked from both the front and the back. And so Kallian had been forced to stand back and wait while the two men took care of the darkspawn, much to her dismay.  
Of course, as luck would have it, in the heat of battle, three rogues suddenly ambushed them, quickly turning the odds in their favor. Kallian couldn't quite remember what had happened afterwards, as she too was knocked out cold before she realized what had hit them. Seeing as she later awoke to see Alistair standing over her, it was safe to assume they had indeed won the battle. Strange, maybe the fool had a few tricks up his sleeve too, or maybe he'd made use of Jory's remarkably unlikable personality to drive them off.

"Are you okay?" Alistair asked softly as he helped her sit up, "You got hit pretty hard, how many fingers am I holding up?" he held up three fingers in front of her, she narrowed her eyes slightly, "Uhh... six?" she mumbled as brought a hand up to lightly pinch the bridge of her nose, feeling a horrific headache coming up. Alistair frowned, "Do you remember what happened?"

She took a moment to respond, staring off into the distance before finally snapping back to reality, "What?" she blinked a few times, "We fought darkspawn, right?"

"And got roughed up pretty badly," Kallian looked up towards the sound of Daveth's voice, but couldn't quite focus on his form as he approached, "Is your head killing you too? I could really go for some... uhh... 'herbs' right now..." he smiled innocently at Alistair when he gave him a strange look.

"Sure... herbs... herbs are nice." she mumbled incoherently.

"Hey look! She's actually being semi-_friendly _now!" Daveth grinned stupidly, obviously affected by the blow to the head he'd received a moment ago, "Maybe we should hit her again, maybe she'll turn into a sweet little elf who washes our clothes and sings us songs!" he lay down on the ground in front of them, "I'll bet there's a sweet little girl under that bitchy demeanor."

"What now?" Jory asked in a panicked voice, "If darkspawn ambush us now, we're done for."

"I don't sense any darkspawn nearby... we should be okay for the moment." the young Warden quietly helped Kallian sit back against the ruin before grabbing Daveth's arms and dragging him into the ruin, "This is the ruin we were looking for, see if you can find the documents."

Jory nodded sharply before rushing into the ruin, Alistair continually poked Daveth to see if he'd react, surely enough, the man soon opened his eyes, "Pesky girls, the Daveth needs rest now, come back later." he groaned as he swatted Alistair's hand away. Alistair sighed, they'd probably be okay when they got back to the camp, there were plenty of nurses and mages there who would be able to fix them up a little. Of course, they'd first have to _reach _the camp without running into trouble. Carrying Kallian wouldn't be too difficult, and they could probably get Daveth to walk on his own as well, but they would be incredibly vulnerable. The situation was bad, and he knew it.

"Hey lookie!" Kallian chirped from inside the ruin, "I found something!" she waved her arms around, nearly losing her balance in the progress. Alistair rushed over and glanced over her shoulder, as he took a look inside the chest before him, he quickly realized this whole trip may have very well been for nothing; The chest was empty.

He shook his head in disappointment before glancing over at Kallian, "How, exactly, did you get up so quickly?"

"What?" Kallian rose her eyebrow, "I found something!" she repeated again. He smiled faintly, "Yes you did, good girl."

"Three Sovereigns please." she blurted as she sank down to her knees. His mouth dropped open, "You're charging me for this too?!"

"Can you scream a little bit louder?! I don't think Duncan heard you all the way back at camp!" she yelled back at him, holding her head. He sat beside her and quietly apologized when her eyes suddenly widened, her finger pointing frantically at something behind him, "It's a MONSTER!!"

Alistair instinctively reached for his sword, only to find out the 'monster' Kallian referred to was simply a woman. A shady looking woman, but a woman no less.

"So then, not only are you intruding upon my wilds, you also insult me, hmm?" the woman slowly strode down the steps, watching the three intently.

"It talks!" Kallian exclaimed, grabbing Alistair's collar and shaking him violantly, "Kill it with fire!"

"It's a witch of the Wilds!" Daveth cried from his position near the wall, "She'll throw us in the pot, she will!!"

"'T seems your 'soldiers' took a sip of the forbidden substances you keep at your camp. How very professional." the woman smirked and leaned back against a tree, "So what say you, are you scavengers? Thieves? Or merely intruders, looking for easy prey?"

Jory opened his mouth, but Alistair quickly shut him down, "Don't answer her, she could be chasind."

"Ohhh!!" the woman exclaimed, flailing her arms mockingly over her head, "You fear barbarians will swoop down on you?"

"Yes..." Alistair muttered, resting his hand on his blade out of habit, "Swooping is... bad."

"A witch of the Wilds!" Daveth repeated, as though they hadn't heard him the first time.

"Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies..." the woman shrugged, "Let me guess; You came here to look for something... something in that chest, something that is here no longer..."

"Here no longer?" Alistair stood quickly, "You took those documents, didn't you? You're some kind of sneaky... witch.. thief!"

"How, exactly, does one steal from dead men?" the woman glanced back over at Kallian.

Alistair huffed, "Quite easily it seems..." being around this woman didn't help calm his nerves, he knew all too well about the chasind, and where there was one, there were more. It would be a problem with four capable fighters, let alone with just two of them.

"Those documents are Grey Warden property, I suggest you return them." he ordered her threateningly.

The woman narrowed her eyes, "I will not! For it was not I who removed them!" she crossed her arms defiantly, "Invoke a name that means _nothing _here anymore if you wish, I am not threatened."

"Just give us the papers! My head is killing me, and I swear, once I reach you, you'll beg for mercy, so... hand them over!" Kallian hissed as she leaned on Alistair's shoulder for support.

"Oh yes, how very intimidating... my, if that doesn't do the trick, I know not what will." the woman grinned, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't ... as I said, 't was not I who removed them."

"Then who did?" Alistair decided enough was enough, they needed those papers, and then they'd need to return Kallian and Daveth to camp for medical treatment, he had no time to play this witch's games.

"'T was my mother, if you must know." the woman sighed and shook her head, "If you want them back, I suggest you ask mother."

"Where is your mother then?" Alistair huffed.

The woman smirked slightly, "Follow me, if it pleases you..."

Reluctantly, the group followed. They needed those documents, Duncan had been specific enough about that... still, Alistair couldn't help but feel nervous, something wasn't right about this woman, and with two incapacitated companions to worry about, the last thing they needed was to be lured into an ambush.

One thing was clear enough, this was going to be a long night.

* * *

_We're going at a pretty slow pace here, but things will speed up a bit in the next chapter. I hope you liked this one, please leave a review if you have time. :)_


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